Letter: State's special education preschools need support

To the editor

Published 7:07 pm, Friday, September 25, 2015

Kudos to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his support of pre-kindergarten. Earlier this month, Cuomo announced $30 million in state funding to allow nearly 3,300 children to enroll in pre-K. That support, however, needs to be mirrored in the special education preschool world.

Preschool special education services are available for children ages 3-5 with disabilities or developmental delays that impact their ability to learn. These preschool special education programs fulfill New York state's obligation to provide all children with a free and appropriate public education.

New York's preschool special education system is under enormous financial strain, as the state-set reimbursement for these schools has fallen well below the costs.

These schools have a proven track record for helping to meet the state's obligation by providing children with disabilities the skills necessary to learn, reducing the cost of disabilities later in life and helping children to reach their potential.

Yet the state has provided zero increase to these agencies in six years.

While aid to school districts has increased every year, young students with disabilities who attend preschool special education programs, their teachers and staff are denied similar increases.

The state must provide an increase for preschool children with disabilities so that providers can continue to service children with disabilities.

Cuomo needs to support these critical preschool special education programs similar to his support for preK in high-need districts.